“Mmm.” I nodded and turned back around. The line was moving, so I shuffled along and used it as an excuse to avoid furthe
r conversation with Parker. He was handsome, and from what I’d heard, single. But I was in no mood for another man, and my head was pounding, begging me to keep quiet until the painkillers and caffeine could fully work their magic.
I could feel Parker behind me. He stood closer than needed, considering the line wasn’t that long, but he wasn’t so close as to be socially unacceptable.
Calculated.
Just like Cooper.
I squeezed my eyes, desperately trying to push him out of my mind.
Finally, it was my turn. I stepped to the counter and rattled off my order. The barista was entirely too chirpy and I had a hard time not wincing with her every word. Once I paid, I went over to wait by the end of the counter. The guy making the drink smiled at me, but didn’t try to strike up a conversation.
Bless his heart.
“So, Allison, you’ve been with Plush for a little while now, but I’m realizing that I don’t know anything about you,” Parker said, sidling up to me after placing his order.
I looked up at him and forced a smile. “It’s only been a week,” I replied.
“It’s been a very busy week for me, otherwise I would have made more of an effort, I assure you.” He smiled at me and I couldn’t help the feeling that he was digging for something. “So, tell me.”
“Tell you what, exactly?” I asked. My mind was still fuzzy from the hangover and I wasn’t sure if maybe I’d just missed something, or if he was playing some sort of game with me. Either way, I wasn’t really in the mood, but since my new job would eventually require that we work together, I knew I didn’t have much of a choice but to entertain him.
“Something about you,” he said, still smiling. “Are you from LA?”
I shook my head, but stopped immediately as the pounding increased. “Umm. No, Kansas, actually.”
“Fascinating!”
Really? I had lived in Kansas my whole life, and I’d never found it that interesting.
I smiled at him and silently willed my drink to be ready soon, so I could have a plausible reason to get out of this conversation and away from Parker.
“Did you come to California for school, then?”
Sigh.
“No, actually. I just thought LA sounded like a cool place to be, so after high school, I packed up and came out here.” I rarely let myself think about the reasons why I’d left Kansas, so I certainly wasn’t going to divulge that to a perfect stranger. In the middle of a bustling coffee shop, no less.
The man behind the counter picked up a cup, called my drink, and set it down.
“Sorry, that’s me,” I said, interrupting before Parker could get out another question. I rushed forward and picked up the cup.
Just as soon as my hand touched my cup, the man set another cup down next to it and called Parker’s name.
Balls.
Parker smiled, swooped next to me and picked up his cup. “Come on, let’s walk back together,” he said.
I forced out another smile and started towards the doors. He held the door open for me as we left the coffee shop. I fell into step with Parker, who seemed to be taking his time—otherwise there’d be no way for my short stride to keep up with his long legs. Especially not when every step sent a new jolt of pain to my head.
“How long have you been with Plush?” I asked, hoping he was the type of man who would be able to talk about himself endlessly and let me off the hook so I could nurse my coffee.
“About three years now. Coop and I knew each other back in school, actually.”
My ears perked. Parker had suddenly become a hundred times more interesting to me. He probably knew all of Cooper’s quirks and secrets.
“I never really imagined myself the head of a cosmetic and fragrance company, but that was the opening, so I took it.”